I played Wii boxing on thursday night...


That's the most activity I've had in a long while besides dodging boards other assorted heavy and/or pointy things people try shoving at me while I'm at work.

My arms are weak and sore, it feels nice :)

It wasn't intentional, but...

my husband was following me up the stairs the other day, and noted that since moving into this two-story house several months ago, my ass has gotten noticeably more muscular.

Remind him that you could rip his dick off with it.

I've been hitting the gym every Tuesday and Thursday evening since last Wednesday (today is Monday). 45 minutes on the treadmill, running/waddling solidly at around 5km/h and sweating like a big fat guy walking way too fast and way too far for him to deal with.

I'd love to go do some weights, but I'm too intimidated by all the big guys with muscle. That and I suspect I need someone to help me by the time I've finished my third repetition and my muscles have collapsed.

Actually, I'm not as big as I've made out; I used to body-build before my daughter was born (Following the Dorian Yates "Lift big to get big" ideal), but my chest has slipped down somewhere under my belt and I'd like to lift it back up. The problem is when I lifted it was all free-weight work and I had a mate spotting me back in the day because the amounts I was lifting were huge - I could only manage three or four really slow reps.

Any advice on finding someone to spot?

i just use machines mostly....and dont go too too heavy. the burn outs i do seem to tear me down pretty thoroughly. it is my opinion that guys over in the free weight (of my gym at least) section are ....shall we say.....self involved. mostly.

I was that guy.

I'll admit that when I was working out, I was big... and I couldn't stop looking at myself in a mirror. It's something you don't see often.

Hell, I think I even kissed a bicep. :P

But the free weights beckon - mainly because I know them. The machines seem to be a little intimidating. that and the workout is better on the free-weights (as I understand), because rather than targeting specific muscles on the machines, free weights cause other muscles around them to work because you're controlling the weights and the way they work and move.

I lift almost exclusively free weights, and I'm not a self-centered muscle-head (I'm a self-centered geek). In my opinion, a machine workout can't compare to a free weight workout. Plus, the maximum weight on machines is too low.

ExRx.net is a great lifting site.

Five days a week on the treadmill. Only 30 minutes and squats(lunges) at night before bed. Sometimes free weights. I need to do more of those and get those fab shoulders.

El Bandito - when using the treadmill the most important thing to monitor is your heart rate. There is a specific band in which your body loses fat (if that is one of your aims). Above it and below it you are not achieving your aim and may be working for no good reason. In fact the same whatever your goal, if you're more used to weights than CV get a proper assessment (or look online!) and use a machine that has BPM (beats per minute) monitor.

I humbly disagree with Perry Winkle - any workout can equal or surpass any other workout. Whether you use free weights, machines or even to start with just working against your own body weight you can achieve your goals as long as you know what you are doing. GET PROPER ADVICE. Whether it's from a reputable internet site or ideally a trainer giving you a goal-specific programme, it may not be what you expect because your needs and your body have changed since you last did this.

I say this as someone who thought they knew weight-loss gym programmes only to find I am working harder and sweating harder than I ever thought necessary in order to burn fat. Turns out my heart was fitter than I thought and just gently heaving my big body around the gym isn't good enough :)

[cheesier than elspode] we already knew that[/cheese]

the treadmill has been very good to me. Slimming thighs (read: lovehandles) and butt. Can't argue with results. I see 'em and like to show 'em off when I can.

For people doing exercise for fat-loss, general toning, and for improved body look, I agree. If you want to become a high-level athlete, cables and levers are not going to cut it.

I lift for strength and performance and am somewhere between advanced and elite for nearly every aspect of the generally accepted scales. In my experience, you're going to have a hard time reaching or surpassing my level without extensive free-weights training.

That's not to say that you can't reach an elite level of performance in sports like gymnastics, dance and running. You can achieve an insanely high level of virtuosity in some pursuits just through practice. But, you're never going to be able to push a 400 lb. lineman if you aren't heavy into free weights (possibly if only for the fact that machines don't go anywhere near heavy enough).

Uhuh

Use the following to find your optimum working heart rate range...

Beginner or low fitness level . . .50% - 60%
Average fitness level . . . . . . . . 60% - 70%
High fitness level . . . . . . . . . . . 75% - 85%

220 minus your age = Maximum Heart Rate
Max Heart Rate minus Resting. Heart Rate multiplied by Intensity plus Rest. Heart Rate = Training Heart Rate

Example...

Person *X* Minimum Training Heart Rate:
220 - 33 (Age) = 187
187 - 75 (Rest. HR) = 112
112 x .50 (Min. Intensity) + 75 (Rest. HR) = 131 Beats/Minute

Person *X* Maximum Training Heart Rate:
220 - 33 (Age) = 187
187 - 75 (Rest. HR) = 112
112 x .60 (Max. Intensity) + 75 (Rest. HR) = 142 Beats/Minute

So, Person X should train above 131 beats per minute and below 142 to achieve optimum results. [/fitness geek]

I bought the NIKE Imara heart rate monitor watch and it beeps at me when I am not in my *zone*.

Anyways, finally, I am back to being able to workout after being sick.

Tonite I just did 45 mins on the treadmill.

5 mins max incline @ 5kms/hr (speed)

20 mins jogging @ *8kms/hr (*this is my coasting/resting speed)

10 mins of 1 minute sprints, 1 minute resting speed

5 mins jogging @ 8kms

5 mins walking 5.5kms/hr ....whilst I wheezed my head off - friggen asthma.

FYI:

1 Kilometer per Hour = 0.621371192237334 Miles per Hour

5 kph = 3.1 mph
8 kmh = 5 mph

= 17895 MILES PER HOUR!

you must go through shoes like a muh fuhhh er